1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a manual control for use in a hoist system.
The invention further concerns a method for manufacturing a manual control for use in a hoist system for persons.
2. Description of Related Art
Hoisting systems for internally moving persons is an important part of the equipment in, e.g., a hospital or a nursing home. These enable moving entirely or partially immobile patients or inhabitants between their bed, toilet, bath or other place of stay, without the care assistants having to do heavy lifting.
Hoisting systems of this type often consist of an overhead rail system with a trolley that enables horizontal displacement, and a hoisting system suspended from the trolley that enables vertical displacement. An apron is put on the person, and the apron is connected to the hoisting system, typically via lifting bracket.
The hoisting system is provided with one or more motors for performing the vertical movement. Moreover, the trolley can be connected with one or more motors performing the horizontal movement. Alternatively, horizontal movement can be effected manually by a care assistant pushing the hoisting system or the person to be moved.
The hoist system may alternatively, instead of being ceiling-mounted, be mounted on a mobile unit with wheels under it. The patient may hereby be moved independently of a fixed overhead rail system.
Operation of the various functions is performed by the care assistant or the person himself via a control on the hoisting system or a handheld control unit.
Examples of such hoisting systems are known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,491 B2 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,195 B1.
In connection with the operation of hoist systems where the manual control hangs loosely down by a wire from the hoist system, it is a great nuisance that the hoist system does not remain at hand when the hand is opened. This is a nuisance because it is necessary to adjust the apron and the person to be lifted several times at the beginning of the lifting, until the apron is tight and the person is fully supported by the hoist system. Every time this adjustment is performed, the care assistant has to release the manual control with great care in order to avoid the manual control striking the person, and then immediately after to catch the manual control again for further lifting. Alternatively, the adjusting of the patient is to be performed by one hand.
Besides the nuisance to the staff, the above results in that it takes longer time than necessary to move a person, and thereby time for the actual care is lost.